2008 olympics marked the era of energy efficient and environmentally friendly design for stadiums like the Bird’s Nest and the Watercube. With Populous new design, the trends seems to continue. 

Looking like a giant bug with playful wings, the structure has a very unique exterior of translucent crystalline skin, vividly representing the “color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night” The advanced material technology, lightweight structures, as well as natural ventilation and lighting are among the eco-features of the stadium. The stadium can seat up to 40.000 people.

John Barrow, Populous senior principal is quoted in their official web site: “Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, whilst its crystalline skin engages with its surroundings by day, and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night.”

The respresentations do promise a lot. How the design and the landscape will interact in real life, we have to wait to see.

via Inhabitat

Murcutt finds the roots of his modernist inspiration in the work of Mies van der Rohe, as well as the Nordic tradition of Aalto and the Australian wool shed.

Between 1976 and 1983 Glenn Murcutt, redesigned  the Edwardian style teahouse using a “distinctive Australian vernacular style, corrugated tin roof over glass louvre windows on a Sydney sandstone base, set among eucalypts and angophoras”.

He gained many honors and awards, Australian and International alike, including the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2002.

As early as 1955, the idea of environmental architecture appears in Soleri’s notes. An earlier example is the Mesa City: “Project Mesa: quest for an environment in harmony with man.” Over the next five years, Soleri would draw over a thousand feet of scrolls detailing the structures and landscape of this hypothetical city.

He made a life-long commitment to research and experimentation and founded the not-for-profit Cosanti Foundation. The Foundation’s major project is Arcosanti, a prototype experimental town, under construction in Arizona, accommodating 5,000 people, which was conceived to show how cities might be updated, according to the principles of archology.

A peculiar feature of Arcosanti’s architecture is the use of tilt-up concrete panels that helps the concrete blend in with the landscape. Most of the buildings are oriented toward the south to capture the sun’s light and heat. Roofs are designed to admit the maximum amount of sun in the winter and a minimal amount during the summer. The layout of the buildings is intricate and organic, to provide the people with accessibility to all of the elements.

Soleri received one fellowship from the Graham Foundation and two from the Guggenheim Foundation, as well as many notable awards.

Dr. Ken Yeang’s architecture feature eco-land bridges, vertical landscaping, ecocells, energy efficiency, light shelves, light pipes, stepped terraces, vertical linked enclosed atria, windscoops, bioswales, and deep green architecture. He is best known for his invention of the Bioclimatic skyscraper, and for his novel ideas on vertical urban design.

Menara Mesiniaga, the high-tech, 15-storey IBM headquarters in Subang Jaya near Kuala Lumpur. It is the recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 1995.

“Geometrically,” says Yeang in his book Bioclimatic Skyscrapers, “the skyscraper can be regarded primarily as an intensification of built space over a small site area (or over a small built footprint). The tall building type permits more useable floor-space to go higher, to make more cash from the land, put more goods, more people and more rents in one place. (…) The environmental justification is that the high-rise’s concentration of commercial activities in an urbanised location enables the reduction of energy consumption in transportation. Designing with the climate in mind comes with a functional aesthetic dimension in his skyscrapers that is rarely found in conventional high-rise buildings.

You can get more information on Yeang’s firm Hamzah & Yeang’s website.

The architecture of Singapore is marked by isolated vertical buildings. However, as Koolhaas says, Bigness generates its own logic. Ole Scheeren, partner of OMA, followed such a logic in The Interlace: “The design addresses concerns of shared space and social needs in a contemporary society and simultaneously responds to issues of shared living and individuality by offering a multiplicity of indoor/outdoor spaces specific to the tropical context.”

OMA, Office for Metropolitan Architecture, has a unique approach towards urban design. Instead of denial of complexity, lack of control, opposition, contradiction, and bigness, they declare them as the key to their projects. The tabula rasa, the void, the grid, and contingency are acknowledged as the new instruments of urban architecture, and are throughly conceptualized in The Interlace Residential Complex for Singapore.

Reminding of Habitat 67 in Montreal City, The interlace covers 170,000m2 of gross floor area amidst an elevated eight hectar site, completing a green belt that stretches between Kent Ridge, Telok Blangah and Mout Faber Parks. Blocks, six-storeys tall and identical in length, form eight large open and permeable courtyards . This innovative use of the available space enables housing maximum number of people while maintaining a open and airy feeling. the continuous landscape is projected vertically, almost like a vertical village with green areas in open-air basement voids, cascading sky gardens and both private and public roof terraces.

The Interlace incorporates sustainability features through careful environmental analysis of sun, wind, and micro-climate conditions on site and the integration of low-impact passive energy strategies. Water bodies have been placed within wind corridors for evaporative cooling.

The main thing that concerned me when looking at the pictures was that a significant number of those apartments  look like they will always be cast under a shadow of the block directly ontop of them. This can be a drawback in terms of the principles of green design.

Moreover, some critics in forums claim that Tthe Interlace,  falls into the modernist problem regarding context for  far removing residents from each other  in modern boxes located in undifferentiated space.

Incheon’s Free Economic Zone, the first in Korea, was officially designated by the Korean government in August of 2003. The goal is to transform this area into hubs for logistics, international business, leisure, and tourism for the Northeast Asian, improving the business environment for foreign-invested enterprises and the living conditions for foreigners. IFEZ is planned to be a self-contained living and business district featuring air and sea transportation, a logistics complex, an international business center, financial services, residences, schools and hospitals, and shopping and entertainment centres.

The place will not only be a symbolic bridge between two feuding countries, aslo a hub for green industry (pv panels and wind turbins manufacturers for instance). The masterplan includes biomass energy generation, the use of hydrogen fuel cells and hydroponic roofs. Onjin-gun Island will be transformed into a sustainable resort and world’s longest bridge will connect South to North Korea and the airport.

There will be no structure above 50 metres to preserve the rural landscape, and the architecture will blend the vernecular with minimalist principles.

Grant Brooker, a design director at Foster + Partners shared his enthusiasm about the masterplan:

“Working at a very strategic level, we saw the masterplan as an opportunity to explore the sustainable potential of this extraordinary island, exploiting its pivotal position close to Seoul and its rugged landscape. We are delighted that the judges share our vision and, along with our collaborators at A+U, PHA and MIC, we hope to develop the project into the next stage,”

Comprising a huge scale task, Incheon is planned to be finished in 15 years as a 300 square-kilometre zone expanding  from a transportation spine and to be a centre for green industry hosting 320,000 residents and commuters as opposed to the current number of 35,000.

1) Selecting Sustainable Materials and Bamboo Miracle

The choice of materials is very important  not only regarding the nature, but also the health  of the people who will live or work in a particular place. Natural and organic materials should be selected, such as cotton, wood and bamboo. Chosing to use recycled materials would add to the greenness of an interior.

Do you know why we have been hearing the name of this plant so frequently recently? In comparison to oak, for instance, bamboo needs much less time (3 to 120 years)  to grow and much less energy to be harvested. It can be used very creatively for interior design and fits well with other materials such as steel or wood.

If you are heading for wood, make sure that it is sustainable and reclaimed, ie. from managed forests. In managed forests only selected trees are removed, leaving behind a variety of different tree species. Each area of forest is then managed and replanted giving a 30 years cycle of regeneration of the forest to be complete before the felling starts again.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal is one of the seals that are reliable, the other being Rainforest Alliance’s “SmartWood”, and the SCS and “Green Seal” labels from Scientific Certification Systems.

2) Walls:  zero-VOC paint or chlorine-free paper

Paints and finishes are hidden dangers in your house for they release low level toxic emissions. A greener option would be using odorless paints with Low-Volatile Organic Compounds (Low-VOC and No-VOC) are the solution, even though it wouldn’t be 100% non-toxic either.

Green Planet Paints’ soy based resin replacing the use of petrochemicals in paint, is an innovative, zero-VOC paint. They have also use clay color pigments instead of conventional dye coloring systems, resulting in a paint built and manufactured by sustainable principles recommended for interior wall surfaces and available in exotic and earthy colors.

Alternatively, you can prefer an ecofriendly wallpaper. Eco-friendly wallpapers feature water-based inks, printed on chlorine-free paper. Low-VOC adhesive can be used for lightweight and medium weight paper-based wall decorations.

3) Flooring

Installation of floors or carpets can fill the indoors with toxic VOCs (including carcinogens such as formaldehyde and benzene) or volatile organic compounds. And they don’t dissipate easily.

You can decide with your interior what to use designer, among the eco-friendly flooring options such as bamboo, cork, linoleum, recycled metal and glass tiles, and reclaimed woods. If you don’t want to give up your carpet, you can have recycled carpet tile squares. They are held by adhesive dots together. Since it is not a whole but consists of many square tiles, you can change one or two, but don’t need to throw away the whole thing.

4) Water Efficiency

A truly green interior design will also save on energy and water. Even though people are making a big deal out of it, using water efficiently in your house is no rocket science. Moreover, you can choose among some very fancy and luxury faucets and toilets.  Caroma was one of the first companies to bring the dual flush toilet to the US, with which you can choose between a 0.8-gallon flush and a 1.6-gallon flush as needed. Simple technology, but works. Add to this eco-friendly dishwashers, showerheads, lavatory faucets (Such as The Ashfield single-control lavatory faucet – in the picture- that reduces water usage by 27 percent — reducing the flow rate to 1.6 gallons per minute without affecting performance.)

After completing these 4 steps you can go on with sustainable furniture. Good news is, as more and more designers tend to have a greener perspective and more eco-friendly products find their way to the market, we no longer need to give up on style in the name of sustainability!

A sound insulation is a must to reduce carbon emission and build environmentally friendly buildings. Materials used for insulation, on the other hand, can be hazardous to nature. So, why don’t you grow mushroom in your walls?

In US insulation industry will grow to be a 9.8 billion dollars market by 2020. At the moment insulation materials made of fiberglass dominates the market with a 70% share. Second comes the Expanded polystyrene or SIPS. But neither of them is that eco-friendly.

Fiberglass or glass wall, although is the most conventional material, can be irritating to the respiratory system or the skin, therefore should be purchased as encapsulated, ie. wrapped in bag -  not to touch or breath.  Moreover, fiberglass is weakest when it is cold outside. The R value decreases considerably when there is air ilfiltration and it is not a steady state environment (from R – 19 to R – 4, for instance)

Structural insulating panel, SIP, is a sandwich of two layers of structural board and an insulating layer of foam in between. The board can either be sheet metal or oriented strand board and the foam can be expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) or polyurethane foam.

SIPs are often recommended for the fact they they can perform better in colder weather and prevent air leakages more effectively; however, many foam insulations are made of petrochemicals and their production causes a restrain on unsustainable resources.

Moreover, “Plastics are a contaminant that goes beyond the visual,” quotes Rachel Ehrenberg, (Styrofoam degrades in seawater) from Bill Henry from the Long Marine Laboratory, University of California,  “some of the first evidence of polystyrene as a potential contaminant to wildlife that’s more on the molecular level.” It is not surprising since discarded polystyrene does not biodegrade and is resistant to photolysis. According to the California Coastal Commission, it is now a principal component of marine debris. This material can be harmful to animals if it is ingested by them.

HOW TO GO GREEN IN INSULATION?

As AIA ARCHITECT David Hertz,  says that mass produced insulation affects the environment negatively, and instead of styrofoam or fiberglass, we can look for more eco friendly options. He mentions straw-bales, cotton and wool, to which we can include green roofs and even mushroom.

Straw-bale insulation

Straw-bales can be used in natural building as structural elements or for insulation. It can be preferred for its relatively lower costs, availability and significantly high insulation value. The straw-bale walls absorb the sun when it’s out and radiate heat when it’s dark. Unlike what is generally thought, Canadian and U.S. materials laboratories have found that: “The straw bale/mortar structure wall has proven to be exceptionally resistant to fire.” In these tests, the flames took more than two hours to penetrate the plastered bale walls. These bales are very thick, 24 inches of straw bale can have a R-Value up to R-50; but you it works if you have enough space.

Cotton insulation

Cotton insulation is outstanding as an eco-friendly option with a higher R-Value than most fiberglass batts. The cotton is primarily recycled industrial scrap, so it provides a sustainability benefit. The batts do not use the toxic formaldehyde backing found in fiberglass, and the manufacture requires much less energy than fiberglass. Its airborne fibers don’t cause cancer risk.

Wool as an insulation material

The insulation material made from bonded together sheep wool is often used in timber-frame buildings. It is a natural insulator because its crimped nature traps air in millions of tiny pockets. Sheep wool insulation has an higher R – Value than fiberglass, cellulose, or mineral wool. This moisture absorption is unique to sheep wool and does not compromise the wool’s insulating abilities. If it is not going to be recycled, can be composted without causing harm to the environment.

The major drawback is that sheep are often treated with insecticide and fungicide. Sludge, a byproduct of washed off residues on the fleece contains remnants of the pesticides which cause a concern for disposal.

Green Roofs & Living Walls

If you have the chance to have a green roof or green wall, they will also provide you with good insulation. Green roofs serve several purposes, from creating a natural habitat to absorbing rainwater, from providing insulation, to helping lower the urban air temperatures if concenterated in city environment.

Mushrooms

Two young entrepreneurs called Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre invented a strong, low-cost, biodegradable and renewable insulation material out of mushroom that could replace the conventional materials.

They noticed that the vegetative roots of mushrooms (mycelia) resemble bundles of white fiber. Placed inside a panel after 10 to 14 days, the mycelia develop a dense network. The panels are dried in an oven at between 100° and 150°F to stop mycelia growth.

Mixed-in seed husks, the mycelia can withstand a blowtorch. It can grow at room temperature and in the dark, doesn’t require expensive manufacturing equipment, and can easily be tailored to different levels of strength and flexibility.

The insulation type most appropriate for you depends on your unique needs and priorities. The optimum can be a combination of two or three for you. David Hertz also recommends installing radiant barriers. A radiant barrier reflects radiant heat energy instead of trying to absorb it and it supplements any of the insulation methods that you prefer to have.